47:Did This Kid Trick Me?

"Then it seems that the bandit leader must be a Thousand-Man Leader (Meng'an Boji Lie) from Northern Wilderness, or even a Ten-Thousand-Man Leader. How could he come to Yangling Prefecture?"

"What should we do?"

Lu Junsheng sighed inwardly, feeling the weight of the situation. Since the ascension of the incompetent Emperor, the Great Sun Dynasty had been in turmoil. General Yang Wuxian had died, and there was a strong possibility of an invasion from the Northern Wilderness.

Now, the Northern Wilderness cavalry had already entered the heart of Yangzhou, Yangling Prefecture. This meant that a war between the two nations was imminent.

Thinking about this, Lu Junsheng's mood darkened slightly. "After this escort mission, everyone must leave Lu County and prepare to set up in Yangling Prefecture."

"Understood, Chief Escort."

The escort guards had never doubted the orders of their Chief Escort.

At that moment, Shen Hao arrived, a little late. When Lu Junsheng saw Shen Hao unharmed, his pupils contracted in shock. He couldn't believe it. How had Shen Hao, who was only at the post-heaven realm, managed to escape from experts above the innate sixth level?

Could it be the loud noise they had heard earlier? Lu Junsheng's thoughts went to the mysterious expert who had intervened earlier, and a chill ran down his spine. Clearly, the bandit leader was in grave danger.

Looking at Shen Hao, Lu Junsheng began to suspect that he must be a young master from a great family. Otherwise, such an expert would not be protecting him.

Given Shen Hao's remarkable lightness of foot technique, Lu Junsheng was even more certain. Shen Hao was either the son of a great family or a core disciple from a major sect. He was more inclined to believe the former because, at Shen Hao's age, even in a major sect, he could only be a lowly disciple, not a core one.

If he weren't a core disciple, he wouldn't have such experts protecting him.

The more he thought about it, the more Lu Junsheng respected Shen Hao.

Shen Hao approached Song Yongci and Ji Dongge, the two women. When he saw they were fine, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you both alright?"

"Are you alright, Young Master?" Song Yongci and Ji Dongge asked in unison.

"I'm fine. What about you, Ma Laoliu?" Shen Hao asked, concerned.

Ma Laoliu, covered in blood, put on a painful smile and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master Shen. I'm fine. The blood is all from the bandits."

"Alright, go change your clothes. If you don't have any, take one from the bandits."

"Understood, Young Master Shen."

At this moment, Lu Junsheng walked up, smiling, and cupped his hands in gratitude. "We truly appreciate Young Master Shen's saving grace. If it weren't for you today, our Lu Family Escort Agency would have been history."

Shen Hao understood that Lu Junsheng must have misunderstood the relationship between him and the two women. However, he didn't correct him. Sometimes, misunderstandings could be beneficial.

"No need to mention it, Chief Escort Lu. I only acted in self-defense. There's no need for such formalities," Shen Hao replied.

Lu Junsheng, seeing that Shen Hao didn't seek praise, grew even more impressed with his demeanor.

"Young Master Shen, you are too modest. May I ask, what happened to the bandit leader?" Lu Junsheng inquired.

Shen Hao replied calmly, "He's at Black Tiger Gorge, but he only has one arm left."

"Hiss!"

Everyone gasped, shocked by his words.

Earlier, their Chief Escort Lu Junsheng had been subdued in just twenty moves. The fact that such a formidable expert was now reduced to only one arm was terrifying.

They looked at Shen Hao with growing awe and respect.

Lu Junsheng had initially planned to tell Shen Hao that the bandit leader was from the Northern Wilderness. However, since Shen Hao was from a powerful family, he decided not to mention it. The Northern Wilderness posed little threat.

He cupped his hands and said, "No matter how Young Master Shen feels about this, you saved our entire Lu Family Escort Agency today. This kindness is greater than heaven itself. In the future, if you ever need anything, just say the word, and I, Lu Junsheng, will do everything in my power to repay you."

Shen Hao understood that Lu Junsheng was trying to forge a connection with him. He didn't mind, as he too wanted to make connections with him. After all, a master of the innate realm would be a valuable ally.

"You're too kind, Chief Escort Lu. We're friends, aren't we? Helping each other is only natural."

"Yes, yes, we are friends! Thank you, thank you!" Lu Junsheng was overjoyed.

Looking at the corpses around them, Shen Hao said, "Chief Escort Lu, it's better to deal with these bodies. There's a risk of pestilence, and leaving them here doesn't look good, especially since this is the official road."

Lu Junsheng nodded. "You're right, Young Master Shen. The bodies are easy to handle. But what should we do with the horses? These are top-quality warhorses, worth quite a lot."

"Leave them to me," Shen Hao said. "These horses are valuable to ordinary people, but to me, they're nothing but a burden. I'll leave them for you to distribute among the others."

"You are truly magnanimous, Young Master Shen!" everyone exclaimed.

An excellent warhorse could be worth over 400 taels of silver, and with over 80 of them, each person would get at least one. This would make everyone much wealthier.

Shen Hao wasn't concerned about the money. More importantly, it was important to share the spoils fairly. After all, everyone had fought together.

Ma Laoliu, standing nearby, was moved to the point of tears. He couldn't help but feel guilty for previously betraying Shen Hao. He wondered if the bandits had come after them because he had leaked Shen Hao's whereabouts. After all, before this, there had never been any bandits on this official road.

Lu Junsheng and the others then began to handle the bodies. It was simple enough—just throw them into the gorge below, where wild animals and birds would take care of the rest.

After more than an hour of work, they set off again.

As Song Yongci and Ji Dongge opened the curtain of the carriage, they were surprised to find a woman inside, dressed in a white gown, wearing a white veil, with an ethereal presence. Before they could exclaim, Shen Hao quickly covered their mouths.

"Don't scream, she's one of us."

Meng Xuanji didn't pay any attention to the two women. Instead, she looked sharply at Shen Hao, her tone icy, "Where's the wine?"

Shen Hao immediately understood. Meng Xuanji had been happy when she saw him in danger earlier. It was her opportunity to prove her worth. She had been hoping to get the wine from him, but now that she had come to his carriage, she couldn't find it.

Her mood soured immediately.

"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!"

This kid tricked me?

If Shen Hao was indeed deceiving her, Meng Xuanji had no hesitation in making him feel the full effect of her icy coldness. She was prepared to show him just how bitter and chilling her cold energy could be.

The more she thought about it, the more dangerous her gaze became.